Update: I was unfortunately not aware of Shamus Young's severe criticism of Fallout 3 available here to link in the original piece and I regret that. It dovetails rather nicely with what I've written and it's much better executed than my piece. I strongly recommend anyone...

DAILY MANIFESTO

10 Tips for Resogun Heroes [Updated]

I've been playing a ton of Resogun Heroes. It's the perfect downloadable game for anyone looking to enjoy arcade action, but we've got a few tips for the latest modes added in the "Heroes" DLC.

Always shoot the power up cages because they act as bombs.

If you’ve been making your own ships in Resogun, it’s time to put them to use! Try either Survival or Wrecking Ball modes in addition to the previously released single-player and multiplayer modes. While these tips will mostly help those of you diving into Survival mode, look for an update on Wrecking Ball later on. For now, make sure you do your best to shoot the cages that contain power ups. These power ups will not only improve your weapon, give you a super charge, and offer increased shield, they’ll also act as a bomb that clears the screen of enemies. Try to focus your fire, but look out for hostiles on your six.

Humans might die. Just keep away from enemies!

It’s possible that some of the humans you’re supposed to rescue will die. Don’t fret. Try your hardest to get back on that spaceship and keep your score going. Enemies will do everything they can to create a hostile nest around the humans, but if you fly smart and fight smarter, you’ll get around them, blow them up, and save quite a few of the little green dudes. The key to getting a high score in survival is staying alive more than anything.

Look out for fire!

Fire-spewing spinner enemies create nets of fire that will kill you immediately. Try to clear a section out and make them dash in before blasting them. Hopefully you’ll have gotten a few upgrades by this slightly later level and you’ll be able to kill them very easily. You might think that you need to continue pushing one way or another, especially when faced with these powerful enemies, but the secret is to hover back and forth, particularly over any of the broken bridges you’ve lost. This way, you’ll catch humans as they fall and leave your self room or save a human later if it lands on safe ground.

Pay attention to weapons and mobility

While bombs, and those explosions activated by breaking open cages, do a lot of damage and rescue you from a bind, you need to know how to pilot your ship and get out of trouble when it really counts. Even overcharge will amount to a limited effect if you can’t line up tons of enemies and proceed in one direction with the blast. For example, the Nemesis ship has a slower rate of fire so it makes it difficult to fully clear out specific areas, especially as more fire-shooting enemies come your way. Try to hold steady and let the lasers do the work.

Multiple wrecking balls mean much bigger scores

Demolition Mode's primary conceit is that you no longer have a weapon to shoot. In that way, you have to completely change the way you play Resogun and focus on remaining stationary. You'll never earn a high score by chasing your weapon around field, so stay in one spot, use your charge to keep your immediate vicinity clear of enemies, and then time your blasts perfectly to ricochet wrecking balls everywhere.

Learn how to circle enemies

Some of the ships that close in on you in demolition mode just want attention. That means you can avoid them relatively easily, but don't get caught up with a horde of enemies swarming around you. You'll need to use a charge blast or hope your wrecking ball can come through and demolish them. While avoiding enemies is relatively easy, doing so while maintaining your "zone" or the space you've decided to camp out in, can be difficult. Just learn to circle around them then let a charge blast or wrecking ball do the work for you.

Try not to navigate between enemy structures

It might seem stupid, but many of the structures that materialize around you in demolition mode are there for show. They'll eventually warp or change or get destroyed, but you want to make sure that you're not actually trying to fly through tight spaces while your wrecking ball is bouncing around. Larger enemy fortifications provide two stupidly easy ways to die, either by flying into an enemy or by your own wrecking ball. Be careful and remember to try to control the space around you, rather than let it control you.

Try to send wrecking balls in specific directions

While it can be tempting to blast one of your wrecking balls straight around the map for a wrap-around effect, that's not always the best use of a valuable tool in demolition mode. In fact, you might want to do your best to aim wrecking balls vertically to bounce them back and forth and more thoroughly clear the space around you. As I said previously, multiple wrecking balls mean much bigger scores and getting them to bounce off of each other will only increase your multiplier and demolition score.

Don't back down

Without a weapon to fire, you might feel like you can't really address the enemies coming at you or closing in. You might want to flee or reposition yourself, but it's far more important to be aware of your wrecking ball in situations like these. You can use a charge to blast away enemies in a pinch, but try to avoid them and get lined up with your wrecking ball instead. Then, when you finally use your charge blast you can clear enemies and send the wrecking ball flying again. Have patience and learn to outmaneuver enemies.

Don't determine your success by the score

Demolition mode is far harder than the other modes in Resogun, at least in my opinion. Part of that comes from the level of mechanical differences between this and other modes and in that way you need to give yourself time to learn strategies, enemy order, and when to use charge blasts. Likewise, you have to teach yourself not to chase meaningless powerups or flee from enemies. If you die, just restart and try again. It can seem like the odds are stacked against you, but once you get the hang of the progression and start blasting multiple wrecking balls around the map, you'll have a lot of fun.

Got tips of your own? Comment below or look back later as we'll update with tips for Demolition next.